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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 1 Hansard (17 February) . . Page.. 192 ..

MR STANHOPE (continuing):

the hospital in the order of $10m. Mr Moore had become the self-anointed $10m man. But there is more, of course. The Productivity Commission has suggested now that Canberra hospitals are costing perhaps 50 per cent more than national standards. Half as much again as national standards is one of the suggestions that are being made to us. A report that was made available to the Minister earlier in January had suggested that the costs at the Canberra Hospital were in the order of 30 per cent higher than for equivalent hospitals in Sydney.

It will be interesting to note Mr Moore's comments in relation to that. An issue that I would like Mr Moore to comment on today is the suggestion that Canberra's public hospital system is running in the order of 30 to 50 per cent over the national average. What is Mr Moore's response to that? There was a comment in the Canberra Times of 8 January, which we do need to take into account, in relation to what this Government proposes to do in relation to these serious significant economic overruns and the economic difficulties we have with the Canberra Hospital. On 8 January, in relation to suggestions then that the Canberra Hospital was running at 30 per cent higher than interstate comparisons, Mr Moore said that the report that he had then was an assessment of impact; it was not a plan of action. Mr Moore said then in relation to this major divergence between ACT and national costs that it was possible to bring these costs into line with national averages and that he was determined to do so before the next ACT budget.

Mr Moore: I have not said that.

MR STANHOPE: Mr Moore interjects that he did not say that. The Canberra Times reported on it on 8 January. I do not know whether you sought to correct the record; we are all reliant on the Canberra Times in this regard, Mr Moore. On 8 January you were reported as follows:

... Mr Moore said it was possible to bring costs into line with national averages, and that he was determined to do so before the next ACT Budget.

That is what we read and that is what we relied on. I must say, Mr Moore, that you are nothing if not confident because of that prediction. But the community has a right to know today, Mr Moore. You were interjecting that it is not true. If you were to rebut that, then the next point that I would have made, perhaps, would be academic. I would have made the point that, if the Canberra Times has reported you correctly, you are, in effect, suggesting that you propose to knock about $100m out of the hospital between now and June. This is one of the difficulties we have in the debate, of course.

Mr Moore: I'm not that stupid.

MR STANHOPE: The Canberra Times reported it. The Canberra Times did not blush in reporting it.

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